ANNAPOLIS- In our legislative wrap-up this week, Governor Larry Hogan officially submitted his fiscal year 2017 budget to the Maryland General Assembly for consideration and Delegate Mary Beth Carozza will take her Bomb Threat Prosecution Bill before the House Judiciary Committee next Tuesday, February 2nd.
Highlights of the Hogan Budget
Hogan’s $42.3 billion budget includes General Fund spending of $17.1 billion and leaves the state with a projected year-end cash balance of $449.5 million. It also includes a $140 million dollar increase for K-12 education, which will increase per pupil spending in every jurisdiction in the state.
Hogan’s budget has some seemingly favorable impacts on the Eastern Shore as well, especially in tourism.
The Governor has allocated $3.64 million for the Office of Tourism Development and $8.55 million for the Maryland Tourism Development Board. In addition, Salisbury University, Wor-Wic Community College and the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore will all receive direct state aid to the tune of $48.19 million, $7.35 million, and $37.8 million respectively. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury has been earmarked for $775,000 for renovations and improvements.
In an effort to spark growth in rural areas, $2 million has been allocated for first time funding of the Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund, which aims to help entrepreneurial efforts, reduce unemployment and underemployment, and amongst other efforts, improve broadband infrastructure and service in rural parts of the state.
“This budget fully funds all our priorities, including education, transportation and public safety,” said Carozza, “while keeping spending growth under control and leaving us with a strong cash balance.”
Local Officials Slated to Testify at Bomb Threat Bill Hearing
Witnesses from both Wicomico and Worcester Counties will reportedly head to Annapolis on Tuesday to testify before the House Judiciary Committee concerning the proposed HB121. The bill, which would make it easier for local jurisdictions to prosecute threats in the community that was impacted by a threat, rather than from where the threat originated, has been introduced by Delegate Carozza, and concurrently introduced in the Senate as SB 287, sponsored by Republican Senator Michael Hough (District 4—Frederick County).
State senator Jim Mathias, a Democrat, who also represents the Eastern Shore in District 38, has signed on as a co-sponsor of the senate bill along with Republican Robert Cassilly (District 34—Harford County), Democrat C. Anthony Muse (District 26—Prince George’s County), and Republican Justin Ready (District 5—Carroll County).
The senate bill has been assigned to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and will be heard on February 11th.
Former Hogan Official Enters Race for U.S. Senate Seat
Greg Holmes, a Republican and former staffer of Governor Hogan, announced on Thursday that he will run for the US Senate seat in Maryland that is being vacated by the longest serving female in the history of US Congress, Democrat Barbara Mikulski.
Mikulski, 78, announced last March that she would be retiring after her current term ends and that announcement has opened the door for a myriad of speculation about possible people who might run to win her coveted seat.
Democratic Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Donna Edwards, who also sits in the US House of Representatives have announced that they will run for Mikulski’s seat. On the Republican side, Kathy Szeliga, who is the Minority Whip in the House of Delegates, and a Baltimore County delegate will run against a large pack of candidates that includes former Governor Bob Ehrlich aid Chrys Kefalas and former Pentagon official Richard Douglas, Joseph Hooe, Anthony Seda, Dave Wallace, and now Holmes.
Three third party candidates have also filed, and the days are running out for the long list of speculative possible contenders for Mikulski’s seat, The candidate filing deadline is February 3rd and the primary election will be held on April 26th.
Holmes, a third generation Marylander, said in a statement that even though he is entering the race just three months before the primary, his campaign is “laser focused” on the issues of importance to citizens.
“Our country deserves fresh ideas and a new era of leadership against opponents who are largely creatures of an outdated and ineffective political system”, he said.